The first ever Wax Print Festival is set to take place this weekend, June 14-16, 2019 at the Untamed Empire in Accra, Ghana.  Amma Aboagye, the founder of Afropole, partnered with Untamed Empire and Streamline 360 to create the event.  As an officially endorsed Year of Return event, the festival promises to bring together people from the diaspora to connect with Ghanaians and have engaging conversation about the history of African wax print fabrics.

The bright colours, patterns and beautiful textures are often associated with African culture and heritage.  But the reality is, many of these fabrics are not even produced on the continent of Africa.  The debate over whether the fabrics are indigenous to Africa or inherently European has been ongoing.  After all, the most popular brand in many African fashion circles is Vlisco, a Dutch brand that has dominated the market for over 100 years.   It’s these conversations, along with the Wax Print Documentary Film, that inspired Aboagye to even launch such a festival.

The documentary will be screened at the festival and the film’s director, Aiwan Obinyan, will be there as part of a panel discussion to interact with the audience.  The film traces the history of wax prints by travelling through Indonesia, Europe, Africa and America to discover the truth behind African wax prints. 

The Wax Print Festival is a 3-day event that will use exhibitions divided into four sections to explore the themes in African textiles; The Past, The Present, Intersections and The Future.  There are also plans to have live demos which include kente weaving and batiking.  There will also be performances by local artists including, MaaYaa, Worlasi, Trigmatic, DJ Vi Tinz and Eff the DJ, to entertain the crowd.

Aboagye says the festival is designed for “Ghanaians, Africans and Afrodiasporans.”  She said it’s all about celebrating and staking claim to the culture and economic opportunities that exist.

If you’re in Accra, you don’t want to miss the event.  Happening June 14-16, from 12pm-10pm at Untamed Empire.  For more information on tickets visit the website at http://www.waxprintfest.com or email waxprintfestival@theafropole.com.